Beer is a pretty popular thing in Munich. Think Octoberfest. You with me? Well, you see, super popular. As not a big beer drinker myself (try: none), this aspect of Munich was not something that drew me to come here (lets be honest: it was the Christmas markets). However, visiting the famous Hofbrauhaus was still a very interesting experience.

Beer halls like this one were so popular in Munich that often there would be huge lines snaking their way to the front door of the establishment. It got so bad, that even getting up to go to the toilet would lose you your seat. With this in mind, the beer hall owners carved grooves into the wooden floors, which led outside. The idea being that the men would simply pee into the long grooves and therefore not have to get up from their seats. They even had special sticks they used to tap the leg of the person next to them so that they would know to move over just a tad as the person peed. Utterly disgusting habit that is thankfully no longer. It makes for a very interesting story though!